The New York Jets aren't ready to throw in the towel on Mark Sanchez after taking West Virginia quarterback聽 in second round of the . The Jets have 8.5 million reasons to keep Sanchez on the roster through an offseason of "" jokes.
General manager John Idzik confirmed to ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on Tuesday that a "focused, energized, very positive" Sanchez will be part of the "open competition" at quarterback along with Smith, David Garrard and Greg McElroy.
Explaining , Idzik said, "We had six quarterbacks. Something had to give." Although other teams did "a lot of tire-kicking" on Tebow, Idzik never fielded a firm trade offer that made sense for the Jets' best interests.
Jones: Jets' Idzik making his mark
Idzik also revealed that Tebow never was considered for a position other than quarterback despite his special teams responsibilities last season.
Sanchez's tenure with the Jets hinges on Smith's showing in training camp. If the rookie proves worthy of a starting job, the coaching staff won't want Sanchez hanging around as a season-long distraction for Smith. If Smith struggles, though, Rex Ryan might be forced to turn back to Sanchez in a last-ditch effort to save his coaching livelihood.
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